Venison Osso Buco

Venison makes the most amazing osso buco, full flavoured but low in fat. Cooked slowly
it falls off the bone, tender but full flavoured and without being overpowering.

Portions: 4 Portions

Preparation: 10 minutes

Cooking: 2 hours

Ingredients

Osso Buco

3 tbsp olive oil

4 x 250g-300g venison osso buco (cut from the hind shank)

1 onion, peeled and finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, finely crushed

1 tbsp oregano leaves, finely chopped

2 bay leaves

250ml medium bodied red wine

1 x 400g tin chopped plum tomatoes

maldon salt and freshly ground black pepper

Gremolata

6 tbsp finely chopped flat leaf parsley

zest of 1 lemon

2 garlic cloves, finely crushed

6 anchovy fillets in oil, finely chopped (optional)

50g pine nuts, lightly toasted and finely chopped

Method

Osso Buco

Season the venison fillets with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large
saucepan or casserole pan over a moderate-high heat. Place the venison in the pan
and brown on both sides, remove from the pan and set aside.

Sauté the onion in the pan until transparent add the oregano and garlic and
cook for 30 seconds. Return the venison to the pan with red wine and tomatoes. Bring
to a strong simmer then reduce the heat to low, partially cover and leave to slowly cook for
2 hours, stirring occasionally so the sauce doesn't burn. If the liquid has
almost evaporated add a little more wine, stock or water. The meat should be tender
and almost full off the bone when ready and you should have a thick tomato
sauce.

Gremolata

While the venison is cooking prepare the gremolata by simply combining all the
ingredients. Set aside until ready to serve. This can be prepared up to a day in
advance, covered and refrigerated.

To Serve

Serve the venison on a bed of saffron risotto (see recipe), with a generous
spoonful of the gremolata. This dish is also delicious with mashed potato and
sauteed spinach.